Investing in Collaborations

Care at the Princess Margaret Hospital is not only about the treatment of children’s physical illnesses but a large part is about also ensuring there are appropriate coping mechanisms in place to support the children’s social and emotional wellbeing beyond their stay in hospital.

Allied services take the care of children at the hospital one step further and provide additional support through initiatives within the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and the Child and Adolescent Community Health Service (CACHS). Together with the hospital, these services make up the Western Australian Child and Adolescent Health Service.

Your support enables the Foundation to collaborate with CAMHS and CACHS to fund projects which provide support to children once they leave hospital. The services also aim to improve patient health and wellbeing from a community level to prevent them requiring the services of the hospital in the first place.

Our latest projects

bentley adolescent unit artist in residence program

The Artist in Residence program funded by the Foundation is a holistic art therapy program aimed at supporting and encouraging young people through their recovery period. Held in the Bentley Adolescent Unit, an inpatient mental health facility, the program has a central focus on Aboriginal culture and seeks to assist young people suffering from mental illness with their transition back into the wider community. Participants are engaged in a variety of artistic activities ranging from painting to drawing to contemporary dance and photography. The Artist in Residence program aims to create positive outcomes by reducing boredom, improving participant mood, teaching new skills and encouraging young people to engage positively in their community.

high school targeted intervention program

The High School Targeted Intervention Program is an early intervention and prevention project which is designed to assist young people who are vulnerable to mental health issues. The program helps students who are struggling with anxiety, depression and other emotional disorders. Students are taught strategies of how to manage and regulate their feelings, while developing their coping skills. Thanks to support from Foundation donors, CAMHS Clinical Psychologist Diane Ferguson and Clinical Psychologist Registrar Lynsey Harborow (pictured above) have been studying the effectiveness of the program with the hopes of determining the impact on the emotional and behavioural functioning of the students taking part. Read more about Diane and Lynsey’s study here.

telehealth services for cahs

Foundation supporters funded the purchase of several telehealth units for CAHS which have reduced the amount of travel and inconvenience for hundreds of regional families. The units allow medical professionals to converse with patients and their families living in remote areas. The Foundation’s contribution to these allied services has brought down waiting times, reduced strain on resources and relieved stresses of children and parents from having to travel to Perth for every single medical appointment.

Thanks to the support of our supporters, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation has also funded a number of other projects for CAMHS and CACHS including:

Training for staff within CAMHS to better assess, treat and support children suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Establishing an Aboriginal Artist in Residence Project for young people with mental health issues at the Bentley Adolescent Health Unit.

Introducing the use of digital technology as a way of receiving feedback from children, young people and their families about their mental state and the services they are utilising in a timely manner that is engaging and also enables those for whom English is not a first language to participate.

Through ongoing support of Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation, you can assist with the funding of allied services like those above. It is important that patient care goes beyond the realm of fixing their illness in hospital and into making long-term changes that could significantly improve their lives.